Hunted 3 *Invite Only!*

GEMMA - Ryder and Gemma's hut

Three years on an isolated island can do alot to a person's mind. Wolf attacks, beast attacks, near death experiences, first loves, and unplanned pregnancies can also add to the trauma. I suspect I am very traumatized.

My dream fell apart in a matter of seconds, it turned to a nightmare. All of a sudden there was a hollow feeling in my body and the pictures in my mind changed. I was no longer envisioning a nice family dinner with my father, my brothers, and Ryder. It was a dark mixture of beasts and the color red, muffled moans in the background. It was a reoccuring nightmare I had been having, it was of my attack. But the moans, they were new. The bone chilling moans were enough to make my eyes fly open, I didn't want to hear them anymore. As my eyes opened and I broke free of my nightmare I rolled over to snuggle into Ryder but all I found was an empty bed. It was then that I realized that I could still hear the moaning, it was quieter now but I could definitely still hear it. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. With Ryder gone the moans and groans were even creepier. I had to investigate.I crawled out of bed and padded across the hut, peering out the window. It was an extraordinarily dark night and I couldn't see a thing. There was something eerie in the air. I slipped on my sandals, grabbed a crack flashlight, and headed out the door, this was not a night I wanted Ryder wandering around.

The moaning had slowly subsided an I thought nothing of it as I made my way around camp. A quiet whimper had slowly filled the air and it sounded close. I shone the flashlight around the ground until it fell upon an arm. A redarm. Ryder's arm. He was lying facedown in the dirt, the quiet whimper still escaping him. My body was shocked through with fear, what was wrong with him? Before I knew it I was down in the dirt beside him, turning him over. A bright red rash had spread over his arms and up his neck, I had no doubt it was all over his abdomen too. He was also burning to the touch. As panic racked my brain I ran to find Tarrion. I found him standing with Maiara near the fort gate.

"Come quick! Something is very wrong with Ryder."

Tiaan: Landing

After that Tiaan kept her mouth shut. It wasn't she was annoyed, it was fact he had treated her worse than her Father. She didn't believe that was actually possible. It seemed impossible, but insulting her body and how she grew up. It stung, what angered her was she could rip his scrawny neck off without breaking a sweat. She had to be strong, no one else was going to save her. No one but herself, if history taught her anything she wasn't going to be protected by others. That person permanently scarred her face. It still stung.

Finally she heard felt the helicopter begin to land and got up ignoring her surroundings. No one was going to save her, she could rely on no one but herself. And by god she would get home. No sanctimonious prick was going to stop her. As the helicopter finally struck the ground she hopped off and waited obediently. The others came off. Many looked lost and afraid, no wonder though.

As the moron came off last the captors saw his sketch pad and within a second ripped it from his grip. Tiaan grinned, he deserved it. Her mind soon changed when they began to tear pages out aggressively mocking his protests. She hated him, she hated how he had made her feel, but these people were incorrigible.

Seeing the others merely say meek protests and look sad, she decided enough was enough, ripping her dagger from her sock, she figured if she couldn't kill them, could at least hurt them.

Rushing at the bald man holding the pad she used the pommel of the dagger to wind him. Just as he dropped the pad, he got his breath back and punched her, kicked her and then with one last move, grabbed her wrist. Crying out she watched in horror as he bent back the wrist too far, smiling manically.

A sickening crack ran before she fell down, crying.

The assailants laughed. One of them said, "Wow she's a fiery one, Mabel wasn't kidding."

~Annie May~

I flinched when I saw the bone break and looked away, grabbing at my side out of habit. Even after three years I was still feeling the pain--or my mind was at least.

I gripped my knife with anger and hate and looked back at the new teens. So much like we were--scared, lonely, hateful. They'd learn all too soon to trust each other the way we had to.

I wanted to walk out there right now, kill the ones in the helicopter, but they left all too soon. So, I settled for scampering up a tree, probably scaring the mess out of them when I broke a few twigs that fell with a soft, but audible noise. I had no clue how long or even if they would stay there, but I was going to be their audiance, silently watching--no matter how much I wanted to slep some sense into some of them.

Tarrion

"Was that a helicopter?" Maiara asked, coming up beside me.

My eyebrows knitted together and I nodded slowly. "That's what it sounded like.... I think Annie's out there." I took one more step out, glancing up the full length of the fort. Nowhere, did I see Annie.

Maiara was about to say something when Gemma ran up. Her usually calm face was laced with fear, and her voice came out strained. "Come quick! Something is very wrong with Ryder."

My face must have paled at least eleven shades. The look in Gemma's eyes told me that this was no little sniffle "What... what do you mean there's something wrong?" I asked, already walking with her. Annie could take care of herself... right? Well, she would have to.

"Fever... rash..." She didn't have to continue. I saw as soon as we rounded one of the huts.

Ryder was on his back, eyes squished shut. One arm and his neck were bright red, and his face was twisted. He let out a groan that only sounded half-human and tried to roll over-- right onto his bad arm. He let out a yelp and fell back onto his back. Not once did his eyes open.

I blinked a few times, trying to recover from the shock and turned around to Maiara. "Get me a sheet from the storeroom now!" Whatever he had, I didn't want. My medical knowledge was still next to nothing, but if this rash was contagious, I wanted to keep something between our skin. "Gemma... go make sure there's enough room in the medical hut, and get something out for that rash."

Without another word to the girls, I walked over to where Ryder was on the ground and sat down next to him, resting one hand on his forehead. It was so hot it almost burned. "Ry..." I said hesitantly, silently praying that he could hear me. Mom used to tell me about cases like this... she had volunteered at the hospital a few times. The stories she would tell. None of them were at all soothing.

"Tarrion, help me up... help me up now!" Ryder's voice was frantic, pleading even.

"I will. Just wait for Maiara to come back with--"

Right on cue, there was Maiara, white sheet in hand. I grabbed it from her without so much as a thank-you and draped it overy Ryder. He protested, but that went on ignored. I walked around to his good arm and wrapped it around my shoulder in order to pull him up. He helped, but he leaned on me until my bad leg felt like it was going to snap, which I did my best to ignore. "Go... go get Duncan," I muttered to Maiara, stumbling towards the closest medical hunt with Ryder.

I don't think I had ever been so relieved to lay anybody down before. Gemma helped me get him onto the bed, and I rubbed my leg. "I'm going to go get Domi," I muttered, turning and limping towards my own hut. I needed her right now, whether she was sleeping or not.

Ryder

I hadn't thought it possible for an arm to hurt this bad. In all honesty, I was beginning to wonder if I even had any flesh left on it. Not to mention my head was spinning, throbbing and I swear-- exploding in some areas. The pain mixed with the dizziness was enough to make me want to vomit. Everywhere.

"Gemma..." My voice cracked. Twice. Her name only had two syllables.

Something tucked itself under my chin, a blanket or a sheet or something soft. I was just vaguely aware of Gemma's voice somewhere in the background, but I couldn't even make out words anymore. There was something extremely frightening about this.

My breathing quickened to the point I was near hyperventalating. Wasn't it supposed to be Sophie's birthday today? We were supposed to celebrate... I had even carved her a little wooden bear to go with the doll Gemma had given her a while back... I couldn't be sick. My niece needed me to be okay.

Sharp pain ripped through my stomach and my body jerked. There were footsteps, something on my forehead. A hand? I didn't know... couldn't open my eyes to check. If I opened my eyes, I would die. Why? Well, I wasn't quite sure. Could somebody die of dizziness? If so, there is your answer-- I would open my eyes and get so dizzy I'd die.

I let out a loud groan and tried to breathe evenly. What was happening to me? Why did it have to happen today of all days?


Samantha

I glowered, glaring very intently at the moniters. "How the hell did he get it in his right mind to break her wrist?!" I almost shouted, leaning against Damon's arms. He just pulled me in close again, which I couldn't say that I minded. It did nothing to sooth my anger, but I liked his arms there.

"No clue."

I pursed my lips and continued to glare at the screen. "I told them not to hurt the kids! I need them fully in-tact for the next five days!" I shook my head and watched as the pilots loaded the helicopter and left the kids to gawk. Movement in one of the trees caught my attention, right at the edge of the screen. "Is that Annie-May?" I asked, squinting to see better.

Damon nodded behind me. "Looks like..."

"Unbelievable!" I wasn't talking about Annie. No, I had already forgotten about her. She could fine the group, I didn't care much about that. I was more referring to my idiot-pilots. I squirmed out of Damon's grip and stormed across the room, right to the intercom. I pressed the button and leaned into the microphone. "Mark, get your slimy butt up here now." I almost shouted into it.

"Why do you want Mark up here?" Damon asked.

I shrugged and walked back to where he was standing. "To keep an eye on the moniters while I'm bushy killing Travis and Darson."

Domi

I was walking through the woods, hand in hand with Tarrion. The sweet smell of fresh rain circled in the air, relaxing me and welcoming me. Sophie giggled, running up ahead. She was chasing a butterfly, happy as a two year old trapped on an island could be. The sun shone proudly in the sky, warming our faces as we walked. Not a single threatening sound could be heard, not a single care in the world.

Tarrion stopped walking for a moment, and I turned to him. He laces his hand around the back of my neck and kissed my lips tenderly, lovingly. Sophie pulled on my dress, breaking us from our kiss. I picked her up and held her between Tarrion and I, we all held each other in a loving, family embrace.

"Dommmmiiiii...." a voice echoed through my mind.

Suddenly, Tarrion and Sophie were gone. Everything was gone. Everything but the forest. A low growl came from behind me. I turned quickly, heart rate increasing. But nothing was there. Nothing but the forest. I heard the growl again and turned, looking for the creature. But again, nothing.

"Domi! Help!" Screamed the voice.

A snarl came from beside me, and there it was. A full grown wolf, towering over me. His eyes like death itself, teeth bared. I ran, and the earth began to shake.

"Please, Domi! Please..."

Suddenly, the wolf was gone to... and the earth settled. It was just me, and the forest. To be honest, I wished the wolf would come back... because what ever was in the forest, wasn't hungry. But it was waiting for me anyway. Gravity shifted and my eyes snapped open.

Tarrion was shaking my shoulders, did he have another night terror? His face held worry and fear, he was sweating and breathing heavily...
"Tarr, it was just a dre-"

"No, no! It's Ryder! Come, quick!" he panicked, taking my hand and pulling me up.

I glanced at sleeping Sophie, she'd still be sleeping for a while. So I wouldn't have to worry. Tarrion dragged me out of the tent and towards the medical hut. Fear struck me. Tarrion didn't tell me what was wrong, so I was assuming the worst. Was Ryder dying? Hurt? What was wrong!?

I pulled my hand out of Tarrion's and ran to the hut. I shoved the door open and gasped when I saw Ryder, tears welling up in my eyes.
"Ryder?" I turned to Gemma, "What happened?" I was panicking now, almost yelling at Gemma.

GEMMA - Medic Hut

Along with the fear that still racked my brain, a million 'what ifs' also crowded inside. I had no idea what was wrong with Ryder, not that the part of my brain that stored my medical knowledge was working at the moment anyways. Tarrion had gotten Ryder securely into the bed and had gone off to get Domi. She had some medical experience too, maybe she would know what was wrong.

"Gemma..." rasped Ryder.

"Shhhh." I soothed, tucking the sheet up to his chin. I hoped it wasn't too scratchy. "You are going to be okay. You have to be. For me." That is when the dam broke and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I leaned down, pressing my lips to Ry's burning forehead, letting a tear drop onto his cheek. He let out another inhuman groan and his body conlvused, I couldn't even imagine his pain. I quickly dried my eyes, wiped the tear off his face, and pressed my hand to his forehead. Was it possible that he was getting hotter?

The door to the Medic hut flew open and Domi stood in the doorway. "Ryder?" No response. Her eyes were glassed over as she turned to me, "What happened?" she asked.

"I-I-I I don't know. I had a nightmare and when I woke up, Ryder wasn't in bed. Then I heard this moaning, this awful moaning. I went outside to find out what it was and I found Ry. He was lying facedown in the dirt, this rash on his arms. I think he's in pain."

In a matter of seconds Domi was at Ryder's side, attempting a medical examination. I didn't know what to do with myself. I sat down on the floor, curling my knees up to my chest.

Micah

I was vaguely aware of a redhead (I don't think I liked her) looking stunned. Vaguely aware of the people in white leaving, their bluish clothes getting smaller and smaller in my peripherals. Less vaguely aware of a dog nudging my hand- the one that wasn't holding on with all my life force to the strap of my bag.

"Aw, hello there."

Black lab. Copper eye. Domestic. I noted it all down in the margin of the page I was currently on.

"Whose are you?"

The dog panted, sending velvety warm air trickling into my palm, and pointed his nose to a blonde boy a few yards away from me. I tried to keep my focus away from the trees (tall, thin; could be used for arrow wood, if necessary, with leaves like willow's, possibly good for coverage, if I had to hide. Wouldn't be easy to climb) and forced myself to unfreeze and walk over.

"Sorry... sorry, is this your dog?" I was so used to apologizing to guys who were bigger than me -brothers, Father, the men who came to collect the crops- that I forgot that I didn't even know this one.

"Oh, yeah! Come here, Skip, where did you go?"

I took the opportunity to leave, back to my rooted spot, with my journal in hand, notes flying out of my pen and eyes darting around me. Trees. Vines. Ground. Roots. Mushrooms. Record, record, record.

At least it was keeping me busy.

Tiaan: Left Behind

Sniffling she tried to climb back up using the other wrist, but she didn't want to move. She reached for the pad, and closed her eyes before using her broken wrist to lift herself back up. The pain was beyond intense, screaming she near fell down when she felt someone catch her. It was the moron. Rather than looking horrible he had a soft expression in his eyes. Looking at the ground she silently handed him the pad before sighing, droplets of misery escaping her eyes to be free of the horrifying sensation.

Wordlessly he helped her up, nodding she thanked him mentally. As they began to walk again, she sighed, and followed but it was horrible, it felt like every movement was through coals, her arm stood the wrist, which stung like ten needles to each finger.

She wanted to be ignored again, to be free, and each time she took a break they got further away. It just hurt so bad, and she wasn't getting anywhere. They seemed in a hurry and she couldn't keep up. Further and further away they got, crying out in misery she fell again, not wanting to get up.

Stupid girl, wishing to be away from home, home was home, this wasn't home. Weeping and hating herself, she blamed herself. Logic didn't enter into this, it was her fault.

Hearing a sound she looked up clinging to her dagger and whimpered, "Who's there?"

No answer, perhaps she imagined it. Just as she lay her head on the ground to cry herself to death, she heard it again. This time she knew it was real.

Forcing herself to her knees she surveyed surroundings.

Again nothing, just as she turned back she saw her out the corner of her eyes, a striking blond who wouldn't look out of place in The Suicide Girls.

Best be careful, she didn't look dangerous, but Tiaan knew not to trust anyone, speaking again she said, "Who are you?"

~Annie May~

Had she seen me or was she just asking because she heard me. Then, she looked straight at me, her eyes burrying into mine. I didn't feel comfortable--I climbed lower in the tree, still keeping my eyes on her. The poor girl, she had a broken wrist. I could help her--put her out and realign the bones.

The last few branches were too small, but not too high. I jumped down, landing in a squat and staying there, making sure she saw my dagger--gripped tightly in my right hand. I had to let her know i'd use it if I needed to.

"Who are you?" She asked again. I didn't answer, I simply raised myself to a stand, knife still gripped tightly. Her eyes flashed to the dagger then back to my cold eyes.

I couldn't actually see myself hurting anyone, but I had been through a lot in the past few years that I wouldn't hesitate to threaten with it. I didn't know much about her, how she would react, but I was going to help her no matter what. I had to bring her to camp, inside the walls, though it was maybe a mile and a half back. I motioned for her to follow me and turned and began to walk. I didn't listen to see if she would follow. If she wanted help she would follow on her own.

Seth~

Seth could think of only one reason Pippi would attack the man to get his sketch pad. She was in love with Seth. He felt sorry for her. He doubted she had ever seen someone as gorgeous as he was, it was no wonder she had developed a crush on him. He watched her with pity. Her infatuation with him had gotten her hurt. He took his sketch pad back and examined it for a moment to see that the picture he had been working on had not been destroyed. He ripped out the page, folded it up and put it in his pocket, throwing the torn up sketch pad to the side.

He extended a hand to help the girl up.

“We should probably move out of this area. Try to find shelter,” said the blonde boy.

The rest of us nodded.

Seth decided to break the ice by introducing himself. He could only refer to them by their features for so long. “I’m Seth.”

“Jackson, and this is my dog Skipper,” said the blond boy.

“Tiaan,” said the girl with the broken wrist.

Mop boy looked slightly distant. “Micah,” he said absently.

“I don’t have to tell you my name,” the dark skinned girl snapped.

“My name is Sallie,” the other red head girl said.”

“Well let’s move. Can you guys keep up a quick pace?”

Again we all nodded.

The group began to move with Jackson in the lead. They had been walking several minutes when Seth slowed his pace to fall in to step with the dark skinned girl.

“Hey, nameless girl, are you sure you don’t want to tell me your name,” Seth unleashed one of his winning smiles.

Before she could answer, Jackson interrupted.

Where did Tiaan go?

The rest of the group stopped and looked back. There was no sign of her.

“The pain must have slowed her down. She must have fallen behind,” Seth said dryly. He supposed he should have felt ashamed for not noticing her absence being as that she had saved his sketch pad, but in truth he was more relieved. He didn’t need some love sick girl scurrying at his heels.

Jackson Teel

"C'mon, Skip. We gotta find her."

"All right, fine," Seth said, taking a step toward Jackson. "I guess we'll split up and look for them. You guys just sit here. The last thing we need is to lose someone else."

They all nodded, saying their own remarks about the situation. Jackson didn't particularly care. He and Skip followed their tracks backward. Skip wouldn't be much help. He's not much of a hunter, but even so, he didn't get Tiaan's scent. Still, a four-legged animal by his side was some sort of comfort.

Eventually, Jackson couldn't hear the group talking in the back. It was just him, Skip, and whatever nature had to offer them, which in this case were bugs and rodents. He snapped a twig, and about three birds flew out of a nearby tree. That's where he lost Skip. The dog barked and ran after them.

"Skip, no!" Jackson hurled himself over fallen trees and other shrubbery, trying to catch his dog. "Skipper, heel! Stop! Halt! Ball! C'mon, Skip!"

Then he heard a girl's... shriek? No. Growl? It didn't sound very happy. Jackson readjusted his bag straps and slowed his pace as he approached the two. Skip was licking the girl's face -- the girl being Tiaan. She didn't seem to be in trouble, so whatever she was doing was unknown to Jackson.

"Get your stupid mutt off me!" Tiaan snapped, still trying to shove the dog away.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Here, Skip! C'mon! I've got a ball!" Jackson was forced to pull one out of his pack, but the word "ball" and the sight of one was enough to pull him off of Tiaan and sit next to Jackson.

[[[[This will be my last post till at least Saturday... Bye all!]]]]]]

Ryder

I groaned again, louder, and tried to roll over. The scraping, peeling feeling on my back had me thinking otherwise. I let out a few gasps and gave up moving entirely. The skin on my stomach, my arm, my neck, my back... it was killing me. I was going to die.

More voices, more feet scurrying around. Was that crying? There was something touching me, too. Something cold rested on my forehead. I was suddenly shivering. Heck, I felt like somebody had shoved me into an icecube and left me there to freeze to death. I could feel my teeth chattering, but I couldn't hear them. Every sound seemed slurred together to the point where it was starting to drive me crazy.

"Tarrion!" It was the first clear word I had been able to hear. My brother? He was in here? I should have felt relieved, but I didn't. The only things I could feel were cold and pain.

Someone was trying to peel off my shirt, which only hurt more. I could hear myself whimpering. Was I really going to die like this?

Tarrion

I swallowed back the lump in my throat and took a quick swipe at my eyes. "Gemma... go strip your beds. Any sheets, any blankets or clothes or... anything that Ry's touched since yesterday morning, get it out." I took a deep breath and risked looking over at her.

Gemma lifted her head off of her knees and wiped at her eyes. She didn't say anything, just stood up and walked over to the cot to kiss Ryder's forehead before turning and walking out. The lump in my throat came back, along with the tears. I couldn't lose my brother. Not after Wren had disappeared and Saphire had been killed. There had been too many deaths on the island already. And why did it have to be on Sophie's birthday?

"Tarrion!" Domi called, voice strained. Scared, even. I walked over quickly to where she had just barely been able to pull his shirt up a ways and rested a hand on her shoulder. It was as for my own comfort as much as it was for hers. "Look at this..."

I scanned the rash that was covering Ryder's body. It was getting difficult to breathe evenly. "What... what do you think it is?" I asked quietly, trying to force my voice into sounding even.

Domi shook her head and turned away from Ryder's body. "It looks sort of like hives... but... it's not quite the same..."

I took a few more deep breathes and closed my eyes to block the tears. Every one of the deaths and disappearances had been hard... but this was my brother. If it was an allergic reaction, or poisoning... I couldn't lose my brother. He was flesh and blood, the only person I had left from my old family-- one that I had started to miss more and more.

There were footsteps outside... Maiara and Duncan?

I pulled in a shuddery breath and wrapped my arms around Domi, resting my face in her shoulder. Ryder wasn't allowed to die.

Tiaan: In the Woods

Taking one look at the dog and the guy with him and the girl running off. She chose to follow the girl, leaving the guy with dog confused. It wasn't she didn't trust him. She didn't like her captors, and if this girl was free, perhaps more were. It was a chance she was willing to take. Rushing through the undergrowth she ignored pain in her wrist, biting her tongue repetitively to stop herself screaming out. Finally the girl stopped.

"So you chose to come?"

Tiaan rolled her eyes, "I chose to live."

The girl smiled before saying, "Hey I get it. My name is Annie May."

Nodding Tiaan debated about giving her name before looking up, "Tiaan. Not often a girl rescues another is it?" she suggested smiling coyly?"

Annie looked a bit perplexed before saying, "Oooookay... um, I should probably do something with that wrist." Without warning she drew up her hand causing Tiaan to shiver a little, but that didn't last. After a milisecond she forced wrist back into joint.

Screaming loudly, the girl shushed her, "Quiet you! We're not alone."

What did that mean, the girl began to walk on again. Noting any landmarks she could see, Tiaan made a mental map of where she was walking. There were benefits about being a outdoors kid. But it seemed futile, at least she had cute company, if a little demanding.

~Annie May~

Tiaan's scream still rang through my head. I remembered my own scream from three years ago, when Kyle broke my leg, or when I was stabbed in the side. So many rough memories from this island.

But there were good ones. I remembered giving up a ring my mother had given me so that Tar could propose to Domi. I remembered the kiss Kyle and I shared inside the hospital tent, the walks we took together before the beast killed him. No, not every memory was bad.

I didn't have to think abo I went, I just walked, letting my feet guide me back to the walls. I could faintly hear another set of feet behind Tiaan's but I didn't turn--I didn't have to to know it was the other guy, trying to catch up to Tiaan, who was trying to catch up to me. And when I slowed, she caught up to me, and I could still hear him walking. I stopped for a moment, sighing. He was farther back than my ears had told me--or he had turned around. But I wasn't waiting on him, I was going to fish for information from her.

"So did the supervisors tell you anything?" I asked.

"Were they supposed to?" She countered. My guess was no. I shook my head.

After hearing petty arguments in the helicopter and a man telling everyone "to shut up or else...", I'd convinced myself to keep my mouth closed. The only thing I'd told the group since we'd landed was who I was. That was it. I kept myself silent, walking slowly by the back of this teen group. We'd started ambling through the woods when we were left on our own, and since someone had thought better of finding a shelter than standing in the wilderness.

I stared at the ground as I walked, only glancing about once in a while. The others had introduced themselves: the skinny one was Micah; the blond one with the dog was Jackson; the brown-headed guy was Seth; the other red-headed girl's name was Tiaan; and the gorgeous lady didn't want to be known. It wasn't hard to remember really: we were six teenagers brought to an unknown forest. We had nothing else, except the only things that put in our bags, I guessed.

My tummy slightly growled at me. I wondered what time it was. I looked up. The sky was already a pink shade, which meant that the sun was about to shine. I always used to wake up early to eat. And I hadn't packed anything something to munch on. Why would I? I didn't know we were to be left in a forest? See... If someone looks around him or her, all he or she will see are trees, fallen twigs and leaves, dirt, and so on; and if he or she looks beyond, the only thing in sight are mountains, and the sky. It was like we were stuck in a fantasy realm.

"Where did Tiaan go?" a voice exclaimed. I looked up to see Jackson looking about. His pet dog Skipper wagged his tail.

“The pain must have slowed her down. She must have fallen behind,” Seth said. He didn't seem to care. But I on the other hand could almost feel Tiaan's pain. I had seen the way that person-in-white had twister Tiaan's wrist. It must have felt awful.

Looking about, I whispered to myself, "Poor Tiaan," as I held my chest, worrying for the girl.

Jackson knelt to pat Skipper. "C'mon, Skip. We gotta find her."

"All right, fine," Seth replied, as if he was Skipper. He moved forward to Jackson. "I guess we'll split up and look for them. You guys just sit here. The last thing we need is to lose someone else."

"Whatever. I'll be standing right here...There's no way you'd make me sit on dirt," the dark-skinned girl said. She stretched out her hand, looked at her fingers, grabbed something from her pouch, and started to file her nails.

But I just couldn't sit down. "I'm coming with the group who'll look for her," I announced. "She can't be far...and we'll find her." I hope.

Jackson was already out of sight. I walked through the thick trees, trying to catch up to him, and not quite deciphering what Seth had mumbled. I didn't know if Seth followed. I didn't look back. I locked my eyes on Jackson. Skipper began running away. Jackson shouted at him to stop, but the dog wouldn't listen. I ran, too. Skipper must've found Tiaan. But the boy and the dog were too fast, I couldn't keep up. I tripped on a twig and fell flat on my nose. Slowly, I sat up. I felt a bruise on my forehead. The rustling leaves, which were made by Jackson's and his dog's steps, began fading till it couldn't be heard anymore. They were probably far by now. And that was only when I looked back to see if Seth had followed. He hadn't.

Trying to stand up, I collapsed back on one knee. Stupid. First, I'd tripped over a pen, then I'd bumped my head while entering the helicopter, now I'd fell flat on the dirt because of a twig. I couldn't even process how I stumbled over a small piece of wood. Or maybe I could. It was probably because I was starving and sleepy; but the main reason was because, I guessed, I had been sitting on the bleachers back at school, doodling. You get what I mean...

I stretched my neck upwards. The sun was starting to shine. Suddenly, I felt panic rip through my chest again. This was exactly what Seth was talking about a minute ago. No one would want anyone to get lost again. But I'd managed to do exactly the opposite of his warning. I was lost. I'm alone...

I behind me. The trees were too identical; there were no traces back. I didn't know I'd get lost, so even if I had a good memory, I didn't pay attention at where I was going. Oh for crying out loud...I was lost. I'm alone...

At least, the leaves were glittering about. It was a comfort, oh yes. At least, it was morning...



This is spontaneous--and short. Umm...Gotta go. Sorry, Ish. I'd have to post a decent one, I guess, next week. Sorry, super busy. O_o And oh, yes, you may now bug me! YAY!